Chinese Xiao by Geoffrey Ellis

A place for players of other folk/world music wind instruments.
Post Reply
aphillips
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2016 4:03 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I've gone down many rabbit holes starting with whistles and continuing with many different kinds of bagpipes. I founded and run the 30 musician ensemble Folk Orchestra Santa Barbara.
Contact:

Chinese Xiao by Geoffrey Ellis

Post by aphillips »

Hey All! So lately I have been absolutely obsessed with my xiaos by Geoffrey. I have 3 G, F, and I got lucky enough to find an older one in E on Reverb. The tone is gorgeous and they are actually incredibly versatile instruments.

Anyway, I decide to do a little de-stress recording and I thought I'd share it here. One caveat - take it easy on me as I've only been playing a couple months.

This was played on my F (C) Xiao. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrHCHj9_qUU


Stay healthy!
SonnyBoy3
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2022 8:26 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: This is the second time I try to register. First I made a mistake with my birthday. I was born on 5. October 1952, so I am 69 years old. Sorry for the wrong click.

Re: Chinese Xiao by Geoffrey Ellis

Post by SonnyBoy3 »

[Thread revival - Mod]

Its the first time I noticed the Chinese Xiao. Now I'm interested. Thanks for sharing:
User avatar
Geoffrey Ellis
Posts: 585
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2012 1:15 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Crafting fine quality folk flutes from around the world since 1997, my goal is to create beautiful instruments that have the best possible voice, tuning and response by mixing modern methods with traditional designs.
Contact:

Re: Chinese Xiao by Geoffrey Ellis

Post by Geoffrey Ellis »

I'm a huge fan of the xiao as being one of the coolest keyless flutes in history :-) Incredible versatility. Also ergonomic (being end blown).

If I may be forgiven for some self-promotion, I highly recommend this video tour of the xiao by Connor Keene. Connor is a superb xiao player who really "gets" this instrument. He is showcasing my xiao (which I'm appreciative of) but more than that he gives a good overview of what the xiao is and what it is capable of. It's a longish video, but for anyone seriously interested in the xiao you won't find a better demonstration of these amazing flutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pqhk6vHFDY&t=1s
buha
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2023 7:25 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm building some flutes and noticed there are many people interested in the same stuff on this forum.

Re: Chinese Xiao by Geoffrey Ellis

Post by buha »

Really interesting, first time i hear about the Xiao.
I am more accustomed to Ney and Kaval of the world flutes and I must say the Xiao looks very similar in capabilities, chromatic and wide range. For comparison I have a Ney that can do 3 full octaves and bought kavals (turkish, but 12-tet tuned) that have 2.5 octaves. With both I can play jazz and from the videos you guys posted above it does seem like Xiao is not less capable. I might experiment doing one in PVC for a sound test. If you know of any template for drilling the holes I'd appreciate.
Post Reply